My sweet kid. My sweet, sweet kid.

[Look! I posted yet again in the same week! AHHH! High five to ME!!!]

 

Last night I had a session so I didn't get to see Weston other than in the morning. When I called on my way home, Weston answered the phone and was all excited. He said, "Hi mom!" I said, "What are you doing?" And he said, "FLower pennance"  (which means flower presents, for all you who don't speak Weston.)

Neil explained that they went for a hike at a park and Weston ran ahead and crouched down for a bit in the grass and when Neil caught up to him, Weston had picked the heads off of a few "flowers." And he looked at Neil and said, "mommy flowers?" So he brought them home.

Well that was cute enough. He was already sleeping when I got home at 9.

So this morning I go in to wake him up and he rolls over and smiles soooo big at me. Then he gets to his knees and said: "Yours flowers?"                       (he says YOURS for YOUR...correct pronoun use eludes him on this one.)

These are the blooms...well... they are a bit wilty. ;)

I about cried. His first thought was to see if I'd seen the flowers he got me. That means they really WERE special from him. Sob.

Yes, sappy, I know. But it just really does prove that the thought is what counts. :)

27 months: a recap of the past 2.5 months

The blog posts might be dwindling in frequency, but that is only because time is dwindling in abundance. We've been busy with our house on the market (it's now sold and closes mid-June) and hunting for OUR forever home (we found it!). 

But here are a few snippets from the past two months. I write this on Mother's Day. It's been a great one thus far. I slept till 8:30 a.m. (first time in forever!!), then went on a picnic under a willow tree with my boys.

 Weston has been talking since last late spring, and every day he just blows me away with his ever-growing vocab and ability to communicate with us. He just picks things up so quick. I just love the way he looks at things; his perspective is already so enlightening, that I can't wait for him to continue growing linguistically AND cognitively. 

A few lil' stories: One morn at breakfast, he was adamant about wanting something other than what I gave him. He said, he wants "fruit ball!" It finally hit me. The day before, he had gotten to peel his own Cutie orange. 

When we were reading a book one night called STAR LIGHT, STAR BRIGHT or something, I pointed to the moon and said, “What is that?” He said, “Night-night moon.” And he called a unicorn a "horn horse" and a star fish a "twinkle fish." :)  How cute is that?

I was taking a bath a week ago. And Weston, being in the neverending phase of "Where's mom?" came looking for me. And he found me. He was like, "What doin'?" I said, "Taking a bath!" He peeked over the side of the giant tub and said, "Where's bubbles?" I laughed and said that I don't have any. Then his eyebrows raised and he looked so earnest as he said, "You want toys?" :)

 I've mentioned it before, but this kid is obsessed with shoes and socks. He notices IMMEDIATELY if I, or a store mannequin, a cartoon character, etc is not wearing shoes or socks. I blame MY mom. So now he won't wear sandals without socks, despite it being a super faux pas of today's fashion. haha And the only pair of shoes he willingly puts on are his "big shoes." These are more of the clunky tennis shoes versus the "cooler" Converse-type sneakers we get him often. It sucks because the shoes are navy and orange and do NOT go with much. But he doesn't care. Even now that they give him blisters cuz they are too small, he still wants to wear them!!

He loves to push the "bun"... his lazy way of saying "button" to open the garage door.

One day he pooped on the toilet and then slid off the toilet before I could wipe his bottom. This of course created a very gross toilet seat...without going into details. So I get kinda flustered cleaning up his buns AND the seat and he goes, "mom!" I look up, and he smiles and says, "Love you." And threw his arms around my neck. Made me tear up. It was the first time I felt the appreciation for something that only moms do, ya know? He has SUCH a great imagination already.

He plays heartily with his dinosaurs or cars. I love listening to the "storylines." Anywhere from one of them has a boo boo and needs a kiss, to one needs to go poop, to one is tired and wants to watch a movie. It's so amusing to hear what parts of OUR life he brings in to this imaginary one. He also saw our napkin holder that we have, where each side is a metal pig shape. He asked for the piggy one day, I gave it to him, He emptied out the napkins and then proceeded to use it as a bridge for his cars to drive through. I was impressed! haha Another time at dinner, he took two asparagus spears and made them "walk" across his plate before he devoured it. (Yeah, odd, that he LOVES asparagus. So much so that we found ourselves saying, "No more asparagus until you eat ravioli!" haha

And this past weekend, he and my dad (Giiibby) played "baseball" with their potato heads. I guess he was just a giggle-bot because my dad was being very funny.

Speaking of my dad...Weston and I pulled up to Deanna Rose Farm the other day and Weston pointed to the windmill and said, "What's that?" I said, "It's a windmill. It's like the pinwheel you have that you blow into {I acted this out, holding my hand up before my lips and blew.]. Weston seemed to understand and said, "Can I hold it?" I said, "no, it's too big!" He said, "You hold it?" I said, "No, I'm to little." He said, "Daddy hold it?" I said, "No, not even daddy can hold it. It's too big." He thought for a moment and said, "Gibby is big! Gibby hold it?" hahahaha Made me giggle so much. So yeah, my dad is a giant who can hold a windmill in Weston's eyes. ;)

He of course plays really rowdy. He's just all boy...constantly throwing himself around, growling, clawing, making crash noises with every toy he touches, racing, somersaulting, climbing, tumbling, falling on purpose and so forth. When he does fall, he'll yell in this cute little voice, "I'mmm okayyyyy!" I wish I could get it on video. It's just darling. He clearly falls enough and is sick of someone asking, "are you okay?"

We get into the car and now that is hot, he'll say, "Turn fan on!" And also, if the GPS unit isn't automatically on, he says, "Turn map on!" haha

One of the funniest things he's said to date...at breakfast one morning, we heard Kramer in the litter box, Weston said, "Kitty goin potty?" I said, "Yep, he sure is!" Weston yelled, "Kamer! Push your peepee down!!!"

I always wondered what saying/exclamation of mine he'd pick up, but it's hard to say what you say yourself too much because you don' hear yourself the same way others do. Well now I know what I say too much. "Awww, man!" Because now Weston says that if he misses a ball, can't reach something, drops something and so forth.

When we are headed somewhere in the car, he is on the lookout for trucks and dirt. He'll point and say, "Bigggg truck"... "Lotsa dirt!" I think Neil needs to take him to a construction site soon so he can get his dose of both.

A few weekends ago, I was trying to get some packing done while Weston was napping and Neil was at the store. I was in the dining room and turn around to see Weston standing in front me. "Mom! I climb out of crib and come downstairs!!" Yep. So that's awesome. But he has only done it 4x in the several weeks so we decided to first take away his binky before also converting the crib to a big-boy bed. We took the binkies to Gina's house and gave them to Baby Reid. Weston did fairly well with that. That night, he cried really hard, but he never really asked for the binky. He just took forever to go to sleep. But eventually he does. However, nap times? Not so much. He hasn't napped for us (he'll nap at daycare) but not for us. So as I type this, he is lying next to me, watching what I want to watch, while I type furiously to get this done before he decides he wants to help. I am so bummed that he's not napping. I do hope that it's just a small phase. I know he's tired. As soon as we get into the car, he'll fall asleep. He just doesn't have his binky to restart his system. Darnit.

His sense of humor continues to make me proud. One such "joke" he plays is pretending to sleep. He'll do it when I want him to do something like wish someone who is on the phone a happy birthday. Or come to me to put his shoes on. Etc. Or if he wants me to scare him. And he just loves it.

Scaring is his "thing." He says, "Sharing" though. One night it was bathtime and he disappeared...I found him lying on the chaise lounge in my office, holding a piece of paper over his face, as if i wouldn't be able to see him. hahahaha He gets his hiding skills from the cat, I guess.

He can't say the word PLAY. He says "flay." So he'll say "Flay me, mommy." The word “octopus” continues to befuddle him. He says, “applesauce.” Works for me. He skips prepositions when he talks. When do kids learn those? I mean, he'll say "in" and "out" but if he wants me to sit by him, he says, "Sit me." It's kinda cute. When I ask him if he wants to do something, if he DOES want to do it, he'll say, "Yass, I do." in this southern accent. I can't even do a southern accent!!!

At night, he wants a song if I’m putting him to bed. And he always chooses THE ROSE, still. He’s now able to fill in the last word for each line in the last verse of the song. He’ll scream it. When Neil puts him to bed, he wants him to read LITTLE BLUE TRUCK books. He either wants the original (the best!!) or the city one.

Of course, the Frozen bug has bit him, too. He sings “Let it Go” all the time. Even before we watched the movie for the first time, he was singing it because they play the soundtrack at daycare.

I was trying ot tell Weston that his buddy Evan (Gina’s first born) was going to have a baby brother named Reid. Weston said, “I want a baby brother in my tummy.” I thought it was so cute, especially since I hadn’t mentioned that Reid was in Gina’s belly at that time.  

And photo time!!

LEFT: saw his first worm. My caption is over the worm. Darnit. On the right: SUPER HAPPY in his swing.

A matchbox car went under the stove. So they teamed up to get it back. 

Such a helper!!!

Bath time fun!!! :)

How we keep him busy at a restaurant. And on the RIGHt: bubble toy fail!!!

Look! He's going to join my biz someday!!!! He said, "Say cheese, Kitty!" and "Cheese, T-rex!!"

Trying to comb his own hair (with water, like I do to tame his 'do). Middle: static!! and RIGHT: he sat SO still at the 28 minute hair cut at a REAL salon!!! 

Skyping with Cailin!

Time w/ my family!!!

How handsome is he on the left? And on the right, he was hiding from me under the coffee table!

He asked me to turn light off while he was peeing one night so he could see the candle fire glow. :) 

LEFT: he looks like my dad when he sits like that!! RIGHT: feeling the outdoor air!

ON EASTER, following the trail of cotton from Easter Bunny's tail. 

His head got stuck in the tunnel between the carts at Target. Yep, so proud. And YEEHAW!

Batman visited Kramer. Kramer wasn't thrilled. 

He does this when he's zoned out. Love it. 

The pig-napkin-holder turned bridge. MIDDLE: hiding from Kramer. RIGHT: playing horses lying down. 

These uploaded in the wrong order. Ooops... the one on the right is him pretending to sleep, then cracking up when I scared him. 

PB & JELLY MONSTER!! and being goofy. And sandy. 

A day with me at the zoo!!!

We visited Stuart, Neb., in early April, where my mom's mom lives... My Grandma Fritz. She's pretty awesome. And Weston thought so too. I was so glad that she was able to meet him again as a "boy" instead of a baby.

And some selfies. ;) 

Sometimes, he is so incredibly trying on my patience. Other times, he just warms me through and through. He's had some rough weeks in a row, but he's such a good kid overall. He's not easy, but he's not bad. So I will take him. I just hope he naps again. Someday. I am so excited to move, but I hope he adapts well to the HUGE change of switching daycares (I could cry thinking about him not having his buddy Lyla at his side) and a new home. I will cry if he ever tells me, "I wanna go home!" Because this house that we are leaving, holds so many wonderful memories. It'll be so bittersweet, like very dense dark chocolate. Sigh.

Anyway, I'm signing off!!! Xo

25 months

Weston is proving to be a curious, talkative, sweet, yet oh-so-stubborn little boy. He is generally of a great demeanor, but ohmigosh, he can be mean when he is doing something he doesn't want to. He hits me in the face, punches, etc. It's probably the most challenging thing we're working on with him.

So far pottytraining continues to be successful. He's pooping on the potty now at school, too. He has a few accidents at home but usually because we've dropped the ball with taking him to the toilet in a timely manner (or if we're out and about.) But at daycare, he's not had any pee accidents in 2 weeks, other than sometimes being wet after nap.

A few random things he does... at dinner, he likes us to sprinkle a tiny dose of salt in one palm and pepper in the other. He likes to say "pepper is hot." and then he licks it up. He loves both. We dont' do it more than once as we don't want him to EAT salt. But it's just a little at a time and it makes us laugh.

He likes to say things like: See you later! What's up, dude? and now likes to tell me to "Turn around, sit down and be quiet."

He calls Kramer, Kramer James, when he's mad. And tells Kitty he needs to go to Timeout in the basement when Kramer is bad.

For the longest time, he's been one to ask for two of something when anything is offered to him. Such as... "Weston, do you want a cookie?" "No, I want TWO cookies."
Well, now...he's kicking it up a notch. He sais, "No, I want LOTS cookies." "No, I want LOTS ice cubes." It's ridiculous. Cuz he'll get mad if we don't give him LOTS.

He loves to read still. He'll read a book in bed, to himself. It's so cute to listen to him. He'll say actual words of things on the pages. And sometimes, he memorizes the opening lines. It's pretty cute.

He counted to 10 one night 2 months ago. But never has done it since. He'll say numbers, but in weird orders. And loves to just say, "one two, one two, one." haha His teachers said he knows all the flashcards at school and knows about 10 of the letters (R, O, W, E and S are 5 that I knows he knows.)

He can't sing the ABCs, but he knows groups of letters. I lvoe when he sings LMNOP. He recently loves the TURTLE song (I have a little turtle, his name is Tiny Tim. I put him in the bathtub, to see if he could swim. He drank up all the water, he ate up all the soap. And now he's sick in bed with a bubble in his throat. Bubble...bubble...bubble...POP!) He likes Ring Around the Rosie. And at night, when putting him to bed, he wants me to sing Bette Midler's THE ROSE. When I say the line "for the lucky and the strong..." he chants "yucky, yucky yucky..." and when I say, "far beneath the bitter snow"...he chants, "Far...far....far...." haha

And then after the song, I say this lil' ditty, and tickle the parts as I say the name: Good night little one, it's time for bed. So goodnight cheeks, and good night head. Good night ears, good night nose. Good night feet and good night toes. Good night fingers, good night thumb. Good night belly, and good night bum!    HE LOVES IT. And so do I. And i cried the night that I left his room and heard him talking...I peeked in and he was saying "night night" to all the body parts on Gobo!!!

His other favorite songs are Jingle Bells (he likes to shout HEY!), Wheels on the Bus and You are My Sunshine, of course. I also sing Wind Beneath My Wings and The Greatest Love of All.

Two nights ago, while I was reading him a book, Neil came in to say good night. I said, "Tell daddy goodnight." He said, "Night night, Daddy. Love you, Neil!" We both stopped and just laughed. Then he pointed to me and said, "My Darbi." hahahaha

I just love this stage because he can truly communicate stuff beyond his needs. He tells us (lame, redundant) stories, but it's still exciting to hear him use what he knows. And if I tell him a new word, he immediately repeats it back to me. And if I break it apart in sounds, he'll try to get it right. I love that he cares enough to learn. He's so darn lovable. He wears me out, yes, and drives me nuts sometimes cuz he's in a very "i want mom" phase...but oh how I love him. He's turning into the son who I wanted so badly... and he's making all these once mundane events/activities fun again. Like we went to a carwash the other day (automatic one) and just watching his face made it fun for us. He did wince and jump when forceful water sprayed against his window. And he's loving soccer outside... we kick the ball to him and it's so cute to see him run after it and kick again. He's also a big fan of bubbles still. He has to blow them himself though. He's just so eager to be independent, yet so willing to be linked up to me. He's so smart, such a quick learner, so determined. I have no concerns about his long-term ability to succeed because he's not a quitter already. He's sassy, and obstinate. But my mom tells me that will serve him well later in life (because a certain someone was that way as a toddler, too! ahem...)

Here are some videos.


Reading out loud....

He just gets such a kick out of Neil sometimes...

A new meal ritual!

Neil likes to run into things and pretend to fall down to make us laugh. So now Weston is following suit. 

Riding Daddy!

I got Neil this drinking duck for Xmas cuz he grew up with one. So now Weston gets to. Weston named the duck Penguin. Yep. 

Watch this video through... he'll tell you why he's in the box. This was back in January. 

Trying to video a Valentine message. It didn't go as planned. 

He's a risk taker. I give up. 

Anyway....here are some pics from the past month and a half.

Him just being darling. And random.

He got a tent from Uncle Joe and Aunt Dyan for xmas/bday. He loves it! He called it his tunnel. Now he gets it's a tent. Phew. haha

Um, Weston...I think you're a bit too big for that car. and on the right...he's TRYING to help with a puzzle.

He can get to anything if he wants it bad enough.

He wanted to comb his own hair. "I do myself!"

Is he not a ham or what? Sigh. Love the pic of him and Neil.

Watching The Bachelor with me (for about 3 minutes) on the left. Reading a book he brought to my dad on the right. hahaha Don't report me.

At the SESAME STREET LIVE show (thanks to our neighbor who got us tix!!!). He loves him some Elmo.

A precious moment on the left with my mom and me. He was watching LAND BEFORE TIME and just reached out for both our hands. SIGH AGAIN. And sooo excited to finally be outside for a rare 50 degree day in February on the right.

Outside, despite cold temps!!!

He was sick on the left. But still wanted to try to fold towels. He gave up. And on the right, he fell asleep on the way home and was so sweet and innocent.

Just being the crazy, random kid that he is. With an oven mitt on, bringing Kramer dinner.

Pics from his bday and his party.....

Giving me a THUMBS UP (yes, he thinks it's correct) on the left and then I just loved this expression on the right.

He was trying to hide. He loves his cat. and he was putting his own shoes on. (He's been able to put two pairs of shoes on himself for about 2 months.)

I asked what he was feeding the Kangaroo and he said: Coffee. He's playing with potpourri on the right.

At Lyla's bday party.

Playing with his fave toys---the dinosaurs!!!

Potty training on the left. I came down to find him no longer painting on the paper. He said, "I paint my toes!!!' And then on the right, he said his nose hurt and wanted a bandaid. I didn't want to give him one on his nose, but he kept begging for one. So I obliged and then he got upset.

The dinosaurs kept him busy at the store. And he loves to comb my hair with water.

Playing in the cat kennel. And hiding his snack from me.

His first Mohawk. ;)

My boys hard at work getting the house ready for a showing. and on the right, he loves Trader Joes!

This is the first pic he ever put on Instagram himself. And fitting that he got it of his favorite shoes. ;)